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Al Qaeda After 9/11: A Decades-Long Global Evolution
Al Qaeda was the group led by Osama bin Laden that organized the September 11 attacks.
The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and led the United States to invade Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda was pushed out of its main base, but it did not disappear.
Its leaders were later killed or captured, including bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.
Instead, the group developed partnerships and branches in places such as Africa, Syria, Iraq and Pakistan.
A former branch in Iraq broke away and became the Islamic State, an important rival.
Today, al Qaeda is weaker than at its peak but still influences armed groups, especially in Africa.
The United Nations says it still has support in Afghanistan, while Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities deny allowing it to operate there.
Al Qaeda lost its founder, Osama bin Laden, in a 2011 U.S. raid and its successor, Ayman al-Zawahri, in a 2022 drone strike.
The group expanded through affiliates in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia after being driven from its Afghan base in 2001.
Its influence peaked around 2013 before its Iraqi branch split and became the Islamic State, creating a major jihadist rival.
Al Qaeda-linked groups remain active in Somalia, the Sahel and Pakistan, where they control or contest territory and conduct insurgencies.
The United Nations says al Qaeda retains support in Afghanistan and an undiminished appetite for external attacks, while Kabul denies sheltering the group.
- Who
- Al Qaeda, its affiliates and ideologically aligned militants; the United States, the Taliban and the Islamic State are also central to the account.
- What
- Al Qaeda has survived the loss of its leaders and Afghan base by expanding through regional affiliates and inspiring attacks and insurgencies.
- Where
- Its affiliates operate or have operated in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, the Sahel, Syria, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula.
- When
- From its emergence in the late 1980s through the 25 years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, including developments reported through 2028.
- Why
- Although military pressure, leadership losses and rivalry with the Islamic State weakened al Qaeda, affiliates and decentralized networks allowed its influence to persist.
International and Pakistani Assessments
Taliban Government Position
Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan
International and Pakistani Assessments
United Nations reports said al Qaeda continued to enjoy patronage from Afghanistan’s de facto authorities. Pakistan says Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan leaders and many fighters are based in Afghanistan, with al Qaeda providing ideological guidance, training and support.
Taliban Government Position
Kabul denies that al Qaeda operates in Afghanistan and denies allowing militant attacks on Pakistan from Afghan territory.
The group’s current strength
International and Pakistani Assessments
Experts and United Nations reporting say al Qaeda remains influential, particularly through affiliates in Africa, and that its appetite for external operations remains undiminished.
Taliban Government Position
The group is past its peak after leadership losses, military setbacks and the emergence of the Islamic State as a rival, even though it continues to retain influence.
Key facts
- Founding period
- Al Qaeda emerged as a transnational jihadist network in the late 1980s under Osama bin Laden.
- September 11 attacks
- Nineteen hijackers seized four passenger jets; nearly 3,000 people were killed.
- Major leadership losses
- Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, and Ayman al-Zawahri was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2022.
- Current de facto leader
- Egyptian militant Seif al-Adel is believed to be al Qaeda’s de facto leader.
- Major affiliates
- Al Shabaab operates in Somalia, while Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin operates in the Sahel; al Qaeda also supports or guides Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan.
- Peak of influence
- Researcher Antonio Giustozzi said al Qaeda’s influence peaked around 2013, before its Iraqi branch became the Islamic State.
- Current assessment
- A February United Nations report said al Qaeda continued to receive patronage from Afghanistan’s de facto authorities and retained an undiminished appetite for external operations.
Quotes
Antonio Giustozzi
Senior research fellow at the RUSI think-tank in London
“they're still remarkably influential”
CNBC TV 18
Sources
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